In the sport of sailing and particularly in sailboat racing, it has been known to use hydraulic pumps to provide force that is applied to various rigging and hull components. Uses of hydraulics have included but not been limited to tensioning stays, shrouds and other rigging elements; exerting force directly on masts or other spars; swinging, extending or retracting hull appendages; and other uses. Often the hydraulic systems installed to provide the force are manual systems. There are several reasons for the use of such manually actuated systems but the initial goal for development of an improved hydraulic pump was for installation on racing sailboats.
Most sailboat racing rules do not permit the use of an on-board internal combustion engine while racing. Without an engine running during a race, a hydraulic system would need to have a pump driven by an electrical motor or by manual human power. Hydraulic systems actuated by electric motors would typically draw a great deal of power from a battery installation. Providing a large enough capacity battery bank to supply the needed amperage might add a great deal of unnecessary or undesirable weight to a racing sailboat. Other sources of electrical energy, such as solar cells or wind generators are also not able to provide the level of energy required to operate the motor driving the pump, or would add undesirable weight in potentially undesirable locations or add excess windage that would hinder the performance or operation of a sailboat.
So, for most sailing installations, hydraulics driven by human powered pumps are a conventional approach and improvements to such manual pumps are desirable to maximize the efficiency of the pumps. It should be noted that improvements to pumps for human operation may also be applied to electrically driven or engine driven pumps as well, to improve overall efficiency in the operation of hydraulic pumps generally.